One could viably argue that we are here to procreate, nothing more and nothing less. Just like any other animal in nature, we are driven to create and foster new life.

For some, religion answers the question, sort of. Religion suggests that human are here to please their Gods, to face trials and tribulations that will prepare them for the promised land, the so called “life after death”.

Some cultures believe that we continue to live on Earth, in different forms, until we reach perfection, to move to that promised land. Reincarnation can be in any form, from a short lived insect to a long living tree.

People ponder the reasons of existence because they, collectively, fear Death. Most people are afraid of Death, the fear is so great that they need to believe that life, somehow, must go on. And because people do procreate, they build their lives around that procreation, they learn, work and evolve to foster the family around them. The family around them is loved, natural insticnt calls for protection, and again, fear of Death prompts the thoughts of existence.

The greatest thing about being a human is our ability to think, but it can also be one of our greatest enemies. As the greatest thing, thought brings us joy and love, emotions that we are able to express and share. As our greatest enemy, the ability to think can cause confusion and fear.

Hey, this could be all wrong, there could be more to life than just life, but one may never really know. Death is the only way to answer the question, but for me, procreation is worth living for.

  Philosophic Phail

  Is YouTube a viable outlet for philosophy, and philosophical discussion?

  To answer that question, I think we must first examine the motives and methods of community content providers, then we must address common complaints concerning the medium, and last we must ask ourselves what the philosophers of old would think of the entire mess.

  It has been my observance that the more prominent philosophers of YouTube tend to make hundreds of videos in a repetitive stream of rhetoric designed to reinforce the follower’s adherence to like philosophy, or to sway the unbelievers to adopt the provider’s philosophy. While the practice may be effective for attracting the attentions of new recruits with like-minded interests, it should send a red flag to established followers and serious philosophers

  Simply put, if it takes a thousand videos to restate and reinforce an argument that can be made with one, than the philosophy is broken.

  And if the content provider has to resort to making thousands of videos to achieve a failed outcome, than the motives of the provider come into question.

  The YouTube philosopher may have a pathological need to see themselves on the internet. They may choose the gratification of virtual confrontation, rather than establish complex social interactions outside of the conscriptions of the internet.

  The YouTube provider may prefer the internet, as they can willfully abuse and express antisocial behavior, without the threat of physicality.

  And while there are plenty of YouTube channels dedicated to Philosophy, Politics, Science, Mathematics, and Arts, many providers feel threatened by YouTube and it’s advertisements. They believe that they will be censored by YouTube’s management…or by other YouTube providers. Current suggested solutions include the creation of aggregate sites and YouTube styled co-operatives. These site creators propose to curtail censorship by limiting what content can be applied to their sites.

  “Huh?”

  True, some debaters don’t really want to debate; they just want to win popularity or monetary gain. Some YouTube philosophers are more concerned with winning people over, than addressing the issues they claim to be concerned with.

  To say that YouTube is cluttered with tens of thousands of inane and utterly useless entries, is an understatement. To posit that there are too many dumb animal videos and low quality prank articles may be a valid point.

  But who decides how many are too many?

  Who is the arbiter of such decisions?

  At what point are too many philosophical videos just as bad as too many cat trick videos?

  Personally, I do not think that the likes of Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Descartes, or Aurelius would wish to censor the conversation. Further, I don’t think they would be flattered by a generation of philosophers who waste time mulling over the same arguments made in their time.

Through your toil, there are some things that impact on your life.  I have had some work opportunities that gave me extra set of skills and experiences different from others.  This is one of those things that make me a unique, different person that brings those things to the table.  If you imagine, the additions you brought into your workplace created a better environment, increased productivity, or even impact for extra business opportunity.

Imagine if you will that all of your labor is completely changed to something totally different from your effort.  There would be some feelings of angst, anger, or even sadness because all of your efforts were completely removed.  This is an example of vexation that is made known through the wise man in Ecclesiastes.

Solomon makes an effort to work wisely, diligently, and with great labor.  He describes his toil as a point of anger, “I hated all my toil… seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me (v. 18, ESV).”  The toil in which you work for, or the wise man endured, was that all of the efforts made were a mere exasperation because someone else took his credit.  The work made would not just give someone else credit, but that effort through work could get botched by someone else. 

The work we do in our lives is rather difficult to accomplish, but there is joy completing work for you.  If you were a writer and wanted your work to come into fruition, you would enjoy your work bringing massive returns.  If your effort really pays off, you will enjoy the fruits of your labor.  As Solomon also points out, “Nothing better for a person…find enjoyment in his toil. This is from the hand of God (v. 24-25, ESV).” 

Here are some takeaways we can learn from Ecclesiastes 2:18-26.

Do you find your work frustrating?

How is your work making an impact?

What are you working for?

Are you allowing your work to benefit yourself or others? Why?

How are you enjoying the fruits of your labor?

In the course of any context, we develop a better understanding on our friendships, relationships, and our so-so life with our co-workers.  I imagine that with our mistakes, and seeing the mistakes of others that we understand human nature.  If any of us were a perfectionist (or know of one) something about human nature is frustrating.

Either way, wisdom is a more developed nature that expels folly, and has an enduring impact on life.  Through wisdom life seems bearable.  As it is said, “Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly (v. 13).”  The perception of wisdom in life does have a lasting impact, but what use is it if the foolish expel the wisdom and make the rest of this world life in folly? 

The vanity of wisdom in life is the grievous nature on the lasting impact.  Death still happens, the life cycle continues, and the wind still keeps cycling.  The wisdom would have become rediscovered if the real wisdom is not passed on from generation to generation.  The choice still remains whether we choose to live wisely or with folly.

Here are some takeaways we can learn from Ecclesiastes 2: 12-17. 

How can you give a lasting impact on your environment? 

Where do you find wisdom, folly, and madness? 

Why can this become so grievous in nature? 

And what have you done that is left upon the future?

                How can we have the perspective of owning all of these things and believing that our heart is truly set?  In the passage from Ecclesiastes 2: 1-11, Solomon talks about all of the possessions, wealth, and becoming the wealthiest of individuals.  He even says, “..of pleasure, ‘What use is it?’” (v. 2, ESV).  He chased after alcohol, ownership, displays of wealth, and yet he still claims that this is not the pursuit of life.

                Through his pursuit of all of these things, he still kept his wisdom.  However, through all of the pursuits of his heart, he still felt empty through this endeavor.   Through all of this pursuit, do you still chase after things that still have no meaning to it?  Will not your possessions dwindle over time?  Are you still lost in this pursuit?

                In these many questions, this wise man did understand one thing.  In verse 11, Solomon says, “Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity…” (ESV).  You must ask yourself this question, what is there you can pursue that all of these things can become a reality for your life.

Here are some takeaways from this passage in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. 

Are you overfilling yourself with the things that make you happy?

Are you truly finding happiness through self-indulgence?

What type of impact are you making?

Which direction are you focusing on, and how far have you gone?

                The wisdom that Solomon tries to obtain is not the learning and knowledge that one can aspire with.  I imagine that the wisdom that is attained is actually understanding and discernment.  Where else can one try to become wise without knowing the meaning behind it?  The point here is that it is easier for frustration to build when you know more.  As much as knowledge is power, therefore problems could increase with those who do not understand that knowledge. 

                His great experience is through different perspectives of wisdom.  In this, we can correlate the message of, “I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly” (v. 17 ESV).  I question whether he set forth to truly gain better perspective based on the self through this world.  Life and work can lead you down a road that will be difficult to answer the question on your personal existence.  The enjoyment you can find is very difficult to find when you attempt to find it for yourself.  The questions for your life still remain, unless you keep reading into this book. 

Here are some takeaways from Ecclesiastes 1:12-18. 

Where are you putting your energies in your life?

Is the path you have chosen runs in circles that you do not understand the way out?

What do you think is the true break through the complexities of life, that everything can be enjoyable?

By pwalington

Years ago, I took a couple courses on philosophy; Descartes, Rand, Kant, and Kierkegaard were among the minds that I had the chance to explore. Of all those people, however, Descartes interested me the most. I was, perhaps, a bit immature at that point in my life, so I mostly became intrigued by his ‘method’ of processing his thoughts. If anyone spends time baking in a large oven for hours at a time, they’re bound to have some interesting stuff going on up there. Nevertheless, I delved thoroughly into Descartes’ meditations; I loved the way he thought, and the way he attempted to derive absolute truths from uncertainty. I grew to form my own rebuttals and ideas, mainly those involving Descartes’ process of proving the existence of God.

As you know, Descartes postulated that any idea that was clear and distinct in one’s mind had to have at least some objective reality attached to it. For instance, picture a chair: where did that image come from? Does it correspond to a physical object in the external world? Even if we are in a deceiver’s world, our minds are attached to our consciousness, free from manipulation; the idea comes from somewhere, either from another person or the actual chair. The very fact that we can conjure that image in our minds tells us that the chair has some reality in it. Now, try picturing a mythical beast that no one has ever thought of. Despite our best efforts, any image we conceive is that of a beast already revealed to us. You might picture a hippogriff, or even a sphinx. Therefore, any idea that is not clear in our minds has to be a figment of our imagination, and any idea that is clear and distinct has to be real.

We also learn from Descartes that man, due to his imperfections, cannot perfectly reproduce any image we conceive of. If we build a boat, that boat will never be exactly like the boat we thought of. It may look the same, but nothing we do is without flaws. If we think about a boat, and really concentrate on it, we can understand that it’s made of imperfect materials; wood that rots, metal that rust, etc. The concept of a boat, due to the nature of its substance and reality, could easily have been created by man. There is nothing in the boat more perfect than the person who made; thus, any cause has just as much objective reality as its effect. Although the creation is less perfect than the thought, there should be no reason why one is more ‘real’ than the other. If something real causes something else real, the level of existence is the same within both substances. This is the difference between formal reality (the intrinsic value of something) and objective reality (the value representational of a real object).

Now, think about the idea of God. Descartes believed that the thought of God was so perfect, infinite, and without flaws that man could not have conceived it himself. Since we are the effect of some cause, as is everything in the finite world, the thing that gave birth to us has to, without a doubt, exist. The idea of God does not conform to the limitations of man and creation. Man can only create so many finite things with finite materials; God however, being infinite, can cause as many effects as he wishes. The ‘natural light,’ meaning the light of nature, shows us that any increase in our knowledge is a rise in intellectual state, and anything that can be improved is imperfect. Perfection is reserved for the infinite, as is absolute knowledge; therefore, God must be all knowing, infinite, and perfect.

Here’s where I have difficulty understanding: why does the ladder of being need to continue after man? In a universe where every living thing, and every piece of matter in existence leans towards entropy, what is there to suggest that something ordered and absolute is behind it all? I understand that the concept of God is beyond the grasps of mankind, but it is possible (and Descartes has attested to this) that this thought was fabricated through millions of people over time. Think again about a chair; can you make that picture better? Certainly; you might picture a throne, or even a comfortable couch. Can that couch then fly? No, but it can in our minds. The point is, every quality in God is based on some quality in man that has been perfected. We, as finite beings, die at some point in time. What if we didn’t? Over time, this idea could have manifested into a clear and distinct concept, along with every other quality existing in man; it does not mean that the concept is real. However, it is also true that nothing in the known universe is infinite by Descartes’ standards. So, where did the concept of omnipotence originate from? According to Descartes, the idea of the infinite is beyond us and had to originate from some higher power.

To answer this question, we need to re-evaluate our definition of infinite. Even when we die, when everything finishes reacting and we return to our original states, the matter in our bodies doesn’t disappear. It returns to the earth. The law of conservation states that matter cannot be created or destroyed; every single grain of anything will always be there in some form. Therefore, man is finite as a function of his consciousness and being, but infinite physically. But what about knowledge? If someone truly is infinite, they need to be all knowing. Again, we need to understand what knowledge is. We define it through many aspects, such as science and literature; however, science is the study of matter. Literature is the study of explanation, and the interaction between beings composed of matter. Our minds are composed of electrical signals, whims of energy created by our infinite selves, energy that fizzles out or transforms into different forms of different energy. In this world, our consciousness exists as the only true finite substance. That being said, knowledge is simply the finite part of ourselves trying to extend into and understand the infinite world around us. There is no evidence to suggest that these two levels of existence should be completely aware of or ‘understand’ each other; as far as I can deduce, they never will. Descartes’ nature as a human being led him to associate the finite (consciousness) with the infinite (physical self), when the interaction between the two is not necessary for infinite substances to continue. Thus, man is infinite, and all knowing in the sense that he is composed of the infinite fabric of the world he tries to understand. That being said, since man is the only thing in the universe with a finite self, we can be considered perfect by our own standards.

Also consider the way in which we perceive God. He is shapeless, formless, and all knowing. If the concept of God was placed into our minds by some divine and existing power, why do we all bear physical images of him in our minds? In North America, he is caucasian and has a beard. In other religions, he has dark skin with stronger facial features. Why, if God is formless and perfect, does the thought of him entail a physical picture? If God, and by association the thought of God, is perfect, then how can man attribute different features and forms to him? This suggests even further that the concept of God was not placed there by natural light. If every man knew, specifically knew, through some divine power all about God’s qualities, there would not be any depictions at all.

While I do maintain belief in God, the philosophical question of his existence remains  open, and I find it intriguing to delve into literature and present arguments. This segment is just one of many I plan on writing in the future.

One of the greatest challenges most people face today is coming to terms with the fact that some times we all need a hand in life, especially when it comes to setting you on the right path to improving your personal life. There are many qualified people who can help you with this as long as you are willing to accept that these people can change the things you want changed in your life. 

Another challenge for most is discovering and coming to terms with the fact that, although there are things in your life that you can change, there are some things you just can’t change. The first step, however, to beginning your journey on the road to improving your personal life is finally accepting that you are who you are, regardless of what others may think of you. By accepting this you will find it easier to come to terms with many changes that will take place in your life as you begin to transform yourself for the better. You will discover you are off to a flying start of improving you personal life. 

One amazing ability you will discover as you begin to change your life for the better is that you will find laughter again, the same amazing quality of laughter you once had as a child, even when there is really nothing to be laughing at. Lets say you’re standing in the checkout on a hot summer’s day, the kids are screaming, you’re tired from shopping all day and all you want to do is get home and put your feet up. Suddenly, out of no where, some mindless fool in a hurry and not conscious of the fact that everyone else in the shop is in a hurry too, pushes you. How would you feel at that very moment? Angry? Frustrated at the mindless person? No, not when you have found the abilty to laugh again. You would simply stand back and laugh at the situation because you know, after working so hard on improving yourself, that this push from this stranger is not a threat against you personally, but merely a threat to your emotion. And by simply standing back and laughing at the situation you will suddenly find a way to gain control of the situation and accept it for what it is. Nothing at all really. Just one more moment in the precious and rare existence we call life.

When you can accept that things like the person pushing you in a hot checkout lane are things that happen in life; when you can accept there are others in this world just as impatient and hot; when you can accept yourself then, and only then, can you discover a way to take control. You can see with all entirely how you can improve your personal life when you are in control. You will learn quickly how to discover your true self when you learn to accept.

I want to ask you a question now. Do you believe that when you, or someone you know, acts in a certain way that is the same way you act all the time, is your true identity? If you answered “no” to that question then give yourself a pat on the back – you are 100% correct. If you answered “yes” that’s okay but right here right now you need to understand that the belief that when someone acts the same way at all times means that that is their true identity is basically politically incorrect! The subject “Individuality is Personal” is merely a conclusion that has been exaggerated by many philosophers. Our personality reflects everyday on many changes, and the truth is each new day brings many new and exciting things with it, which are new changes for us. The world is plagued with influences, both good and bad, and because we all have actions, behaviors, thoughts and even emotions, our personality will never remain the same at all times because it reflects on these changes. 

Take a look around yourself and you will see just how many influences are surrounding you. Take a really long hard look and you will discover there are millions of them, if not billions! There is the television, the media, house-holds, the government, the schools, just to name a few, and it is these influences that has created the world in which you live in that has desensitised you. Something you have to accept is that somewhere at some time someone is judging someone else. It is a sad occurance but you cannot change these peoples behaviours and way of thinking, only they can do that for themselves. But you can change your own behaviour and way of thinking. This is part of the journey to improving your personal life and a big part of learning and accepting. And once you have learned how to change yourself for the better then sharing what you have learned with ours is a sure-fire way to help them begin the road to self-improvment in their personal life. But you can only do this if you are truly happy with your own life first, because your journey will rely totally on sources that prove truthful with their actions, and there’s no point preaching something to another person if you yourself don’t truly believe it. Positive reflections are the key to happiness in your life and by reflecting this postiveness onto others is the key to their way of changing and accepting. 

So again I repeat from ealier in this article, once you learn to accept that you cannot purposely change the behaviour of others, then you will feel the eagerness to laugh at someone who has just pushed you in the checkout lane. You will see the humour in the actions of someone who has made you angry. And if you make a mistake, you will see the humour in that mistake as well and see that life is full of mistakes because that is the only way you can truly ever learn.

You will certainly begin to feel so much better inside once you begin to see humour in life. It is a sad truth that there are so many greedy people involved with us in this unruly world – greedy, envious, lustful souls they are almost like tigers hunting others as prey. But if you can learn how to get along with these people, learn how to work with them, accept them for who they are, you will find moving on is a lot eaiser and smoother. Once you’ve master how to change yourself for the better, you will be suprised by how many people will want to follow suit. 

There will be a new feeling growing inside you as you grow as well, and this new feeling will be hunger because as you advance down your path to improvement you will hunger to continue discovering new ways to better yourself and find amzingly new things about yourself. You will simply become more inspired when you begin to feel this hunger burning inside you, and all you will need to do is embrace it in order to achieve your goals.

1. They can’t be you.

2. They envy something of/anything about you.

3. They can’t get/have what you get/have.

4. They think your life is better than theirs.

5. They can’t do what you do even if they try.

6. They can’t make you do what they want you to do.

7. They aren’t noticed as much as you do.

8. You have what they can never have.

9. You’re better than them.

It might be that you’re in a better place/situation in life than they are. Or you look awesome even if it seems you’re not doing much. Or you usually come out better than the rest even if you don’t want to.

10. You don’t notice them or pay attention to them without meaning to.

11. They feel undervalued even if they shouldn’t.

12. You hurt their feelings.

It doesn’t matter if you did it intentionally or not, they will still hate you anyway. 

13. They don’t understand you.

It may be that they’re afraid of you or simply idolize you or maybe even love you a certain way but since it’s not reciprocated the way they want it, it turns into something else entirely. That’s why they ruin you, irritate you or do all the nasty stuff to you. It’s either that or they think you’re pathetic. Either way hate is still kind of a strong word.

People hating on you isn’t something to be proud of. You don’t boast how much someone hates you just because you’re who you are. But of course that might be a defense mechanism.

So what have we learned from this list then? Should you change yourself for them to please them? Nothing can really please people nowadays aside from making them feel good.

Hate is a strong enough word. It is unpleasant. It is uncomfortable. It makes you wanna kill someone.

Why would you wanna hate someone? Is it because you feel insignificant? Stupid? Unloved? Wronged?

What exactly is your problem that it made you hate someone? Is it because you got hurt? Why did it hurt?

You do know that nobody’s perfect right? But everyone strives to be perfect to the detriment of others, which shouldn’t be the case. Heck i don’t even care about my grammar, using a foreign language is enough as long as i get the point across and am understood.

So what can i say about this? Well why don’t we all start doing what is right instead of hating people and putting them down just because we hate them. After all if it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t be where you are now. You may be bitter and still seek revenge but revenge is empty, as we have all witnessed in movies, TV shows, anime and the like. It only feels good at the beginning but then it makes you feel more rotten inside without you even noticing it.

Doing the right thing might be hard but it’s better. Use your hatred to make life better for you and everyone else without deliberately stepping on other people. You’re just going to make things worse than it is if you do. Learn from your pain. Use your pain and the hate that results from it to learn about who you are and how people react to you and turn things into something positive. Hate and pain will consume you if you let it, so don’t let it keep you from having a happy and positive life.

Pray. Laugh. Love. Live.

Enjoy life to the fullest and make the world a much better place for everyone. =)

Erection: The action of putting up or putting together something, also the penis or even the clitoris that has become rigid.

Ersatz: Made in imitation; artificial, especially of an inferior quality.

Epic: Momentously heroic witch is extending beyond the usual, also means a long poem about demigods and other heroic stuff.

Energy: A quantity that denotes the ability to do work and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance²/time² (ML²/T²) or the equivalent.

Empire: A political unit having an extensive territory or comprising a number of territories or nations and ruled by a single supreme authority; i.e. an emperor.

Electricity: Energy caused by the behavior of electrons and protons.

Ectoplasm: The visible substance believed to emanate from the body of a spiritualistic medium during communication with the dead.

Echo: A reflexion of sound.

Earth: The 3rd planet from the sun, also means soil

Bonus:

El Dorado: A legendary lost city of gold thus, any place with massive wealth.

–

Click here for interesting “A” words 

Click here for interesting “B” words 

Click here for interesting “C” words 

Click here for interesting “D” words 

You got better words that starts with ” E ” well let me know at the comments.