Was ist Schön?

Lately there has been much confusion about what is beauty. It is truly an epidemic in today’s society. People are too quick to judge something based on its outward appearance. This is not the way it should be though. Because of this hasty judgment, these people lose the opportunity to explore something new, or to meet someone with a different view of the world.

            When judging other people, the “judges” are quick to divide the others based on race, sexual orientation, size and a multitude of other categories. However, the “judges” fail to realize that they are passing judgment on humans. We are all humans, and nothing more. Therefore, there is no reason to jump to false conclusions based on the way something appears at first.

            I realize that first impressions are hard to break; this is a part of human nature. Remember the old saying never judge a book by its cover? This rule still applies to us. We should do more to incorporate it into our daily lives. There are many things that are beautiful, many people who are beautiful. In fact, it is my personal belief that anything that brings happiness is beautiful.

            Franz Kafka once said, “Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty in all things will never grow old.” We should seize this opportunity and drink from this fountain of youth. It is up to you to drink from the chalice and maintain your youth.

Red

Socialism is a topic that hits close to home. I have been a social democrat since I was in high school. I have to say it leads to a lot of judgment and misguided hatred. When I tell someone I believe a certain degree of socialism would be beneficial to this country, they instantly equate me with figures like Stalin. 

Listen, Stalin was a dictator. The power he held was a perverted form of totalitarianism disguised under the title of communism. Being a socialist is different than being a communist. And, more to the point, being a socialist does not automatically equate to supporting a dictatorship. My message to the misguided American people, don't equate socialist ideas with the dictators of the past. If you don't inform yourself, you run the risk of being as hypocritical as these people:

(Just to clarify, Medicare is a government run program comes from a socialist idea thought up by people like Eugene V. Debs.)

All I really want to convey is, think before you say something ignorant! Inform yourself!

All Apologies

First off, I would like to say sorry for not updating the blog lately. I have been very busy to say the very least. I plan to post more over break. That, is a promise. 

So, let's get down to business. I have seen so many pictures, mostly on Facebook, saying "I will not apologize for being an American." I have also heard politicians say the same thing. Let me be the first to actually apologize to the rest of the world for being an American. I am sorry. I am sorry we have these war-like tendencies. I am sorry we are unwilling to promote peace throughout the world. I am sorry for the ignorant people who condemn the other citizens of the world for simply being different. I am sorry for the stupidity and hypocrisy shown by so many citizens of the United States. 

To say the least, I am ashamed of the actions my country and its people have taken in recent years. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, at least. I hope we can improve soon. 

To my fellow Americans...let's work on changing the way we treat the world we live in. Let's try to promote peace in the world. Let's try to educate ourselves about the way the world works. This is a vision I hope to spread! 

"Mother Russia, How Are You Sleeping?"

The title of this post comes from an Iron Maiden song called Mother Russia. I am waiting to see how Vladimir Putin's re-election turns out. On Sunday, he was elected to be the Russian President. Putin has held this post two other times. The Russian Constitution bans serving three consecutive terms. Since he was prime minister in 2008, this will not be a third consecutive term. This is why it is officially legal for him to serve as president.

Amid demonstrations in some of the major cities, some foreign governments have officially recognized Putin's role of president. An example of this is the UK Prime Minister calling Putin to discuss increasing ties between Russia and Britain. 

This post isn't really opinionated, because, at the moment, I really don't have an opinion on the matter. All I hope to see is for Russia to regain its place among other nations. Literature has been greatly benefited by Russian writers such as Tolstoy. Russia has helped the thinking world in many other ways as well. 

Vladimir Putin holds this office legally. He will officially take over the presidency in May of this year. I am waiting to see how this plays out. I do know of some people who are terming this re-election as the birth of a Czar. There are many discussions to be held over his presidency. Please, feel free to share your thoughts.

Fate

First off, I would like to apologize for not posting anything new in a while. I have been swamped with class work. So, this is me making up for it. Today in my English class we discussed the idea of fate. My professor asked the class: "how many people are okay with the idea of fate?" Out of the class of 23, only two people (myself included) did not raise their hands. My professor asked us why we did not like the idea of fate. At the time I could not respond. This is my redemption for not responding. 

I dislike the idea of fate. I can't stand the feeling that something, other than myself, has complete control over my life. To me, this seems like a big source of nihilism. People say things such as: "it wasn't meant to be" and "only god knows." It seems to me that people like this are giving up. People like this seem to let go of things they have fought so hard for. 

I cannot stand this idea. I pose the question: if fate is in control, why attempt to change things? Maybe I do not understand this. Either way, I am going to work hard to attain my dreams. I will not give up, nor will I dismiss the rejections as fate. I will look at the rejections and learn how to change myself for the better. I view these renunciations as learning experiences. I feel if more people felt this way, the world would be a beautiful place; a place filled with determined people. 

Franz Kafka once said something to the effect: "whatever we desire will become reality. Whatever is not reality is something we have not desired enough." This is the view I take. I will continue to desire, until it is real! I will not let anything control my life, but myself. I guess the point of this post is to never give up on whatever you want to become reality. Keep fighting, even after "fate" has told you no!

Why Politics Matter

I have heard many ignorant people my age say they are unwilling to follow politics because it "has no meaning." Let me just say that being political affects many things in our daily lives. I personally feel it is more of a duty to be political. It is our duty to research all aspects of a political party, before associating with one. It is our duty to research the candidates running for office. The thing we all must realize is that we are voting for who we want to lead our lives, who we want to represent our nation. 

I am speaking from an American standpoint of course. Humor me, answer these questions honestly:

Are you a citizen? 
Do you attend college?
Do you work?
Do you pay taxes?

These are all general questions. There is a large list of them. If you answered yes to any of these, you are affected by the political system. This is why we must take the time to learn about the people who want to run this nation. 

Whatever you do, do not just believe the first thing you hear. The best example that I can think of is the disagreement over Obama's religion (once again, I feel this should not matter since this nation was founded on the idea of separation of church and state. Therefore, religion and politics do not mix ["Mr. Jefferson, build up that wall!"-Christopher Hitchens]). I have heard many people spread the lie that President Obama is a Muslim. He is not! He has said multiple times that he is a Christian, and that he bases his political ideology on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Even if he were a Muslim, why should it matter? Are we, as a nation, that afraid of diversity? It is pitiful!

I urge you to look carefully at what each candidate is saying. Only then should you vote. Whatever you do, do not simply vote for a person based on the fact you have heard his or her name a lot. That only does more harm than good. Politics matter! If you don't like the way the government treats you, the beauty of living in a democratic country is that you have the power to change it! Form your opinion based on fact. Break the delusion and get involved! 

Your Thoughts

I would just like to take a moment to ask you to share your thoughts about the current situation between Iran and Israel. What do you think will happen? Will the United States be forced to take a side in another conflict? What are your thoughts?

By the way, it has been a week since I created this. Is there anything I can do to make this blog better? If you like what you see, feel free to follow this blog; and by all means, feel free to comment on the posts. I would love to hear your opinions!

 

When the Heroes Leave the Stage, the Clowns Enter

The title of this post is a quote from Heinrich Heine. I feel this is still true today. The best example of this would be found in American politics. Abraham Lincoln was a member of the Republican party. He was a great president. I would consider him a hero. Who do we have in his place today though? The simple answer is: buffoons. The Republican party is made up of people who feel they can fill Lincoln's shoes. Some people such as Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, John Boehner and the hate mongers of the Fox "News" channel, are trying to be the new heroes of the Republican party. However, these people are failing, miserably.
                      

                                                (Yes, this is John Boehner crying)

The current Republican party is in need of enlightenment. These are the type of people who do not take the time to understand what is going on in the world around them. These people are quick to spread fear in order to obtain votes. Some of the most famous quotes include "Obama is a socialist," the lies coming from Sarah Palin about death panels, and Rick Santorum's false idea of Obama being a Muslim (By the way, this is a secular nation [care to disagree? Please re-read our Constitution] so why should it matter what religious affiliation a person has?).

I urge people not to fall into the lies. I urge people to find their information from sources other than Fox. The information that is given to us by the conservatives is false and leads to division among the people. If we want to give peace a chance, we must unite!

Now, I don't mean to say that the Democrats have a clean slate either. One of my personal heroes is Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I feel he was, once again, a great president. The Democrats have a lot to live up to, but at least the Democrats are trying to help the underdog. I feel President Obama is doing a good job considering what he has to work with. The only major problem I have with many of the current Democrats is the fact they lack courage. Many of them lack the courage to stand up to the Republicans. It is time to stop being scared! Do what is right and have no fear! Kafka once said, "Start with what is right, rather than what is acceptable."

When the heroes leave, the clowns enter. I feel it is time that these clowns leave, so they can be replaced by the true heroes: the hard-working men and women of this nation. It is time for the common people to be recognized for what they do for this nation!

Finding Kafka

This will be a shorter article. I just wanted to pass on some of the works of one of my absolute favorite authors. Franz Kafka is an amazing writer. I would say he is most famous for his story The Metamorphosis. (By the way, I will keep this post in English.) Many people know this story. I would just like to suggest that people read some of his other stories as well. My personal recommendations include: The Trial, The Castle, In the Penal Colony and America. I feel these stories, as many of Kafka's other stories often do, contain deep philosophical messages. I feel these messages would greatly benefit society. Like I stated earlier, this is only a short post. I'm sure I will speak more about Kafka later! Happy reading!

 

The Nuclear Problem. Will There Ever be Peace?

I wanted to write about this earlier, but I also wanted to wait for more information. It seems we may be plunged into a nuclear standoff the likes of which have not been seen since the Cold War. Only this time, it is between Israel, its allies and Iran. Today, Iranian officials denied nuclear inspectors from the UN access to one of their nuclear sites. This is a site thought to be a testing site for explosives. Although Iran denies it has plans for building nuclear weapons, it has been active in building its military force. 
Israel has been inclined to strike Iran. They believe the sanctions and diplomatic talks are ineffective. That is why they feel they must strike, and they are hoping that the United States will support them in their military actions. 
Might I just say that this is quickly turning into something that could result in the loss of many lives. As one of my professors put it "there is little hope for peace, and certainly no easy solutions for bringing peace to the Middle East. We are talking about two groups of people who hate each other, and just want to see the other people dead." I agree that there is no simple solution to this. These groups despise one another based heavily on religion and some other issues. But this does not mean that all hope is lost. We should not just stand aside while people are threatening to kill one another. These are human beings, no different than anyone else. 

I personally religious extremism plays a large role in this. I feel it may be something I will never fully understand. Why do we condemn others? Why do people fight over which religion is more peaceful? I personally have had enough of the separation caused by religion. I am tired of the condemnation of race in the world. I feel the ultimate goal in life is to share love and not to exclude others for any reason. I wish other people would embrace this ideology as well!
We need to support peace. Let's lead by example! As it is said in that famous John Lennon song, Imagine, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one!" Please join me in supporting an end to conflict! 

Supporting Spain

Today I had the chance to talk to one of my very close friends from Spain. She spoke of the crisis that has recently struck Europe. It seems to have hit Spain particularly hard. My friend told me she was forced to move to a new region of Spain, about 5 hours away from her family, just to find a job that provides only 17 hours of work per week.

She reiterated the point that this was a common case all throughout Spain. People are fed up with the way things are run. These people are unable to find jobs, which makes it hard to survive. I know of some people who are quick to say, "well the Spanish are only lazy. They don't want to work." I just want to make it clear that this is not the case at all. These people are trying to find work. They are more than willing to work, the problem comes from a failing economy and the corruption found in the government.

The job crisis is a problem here in the United States as well! Many of the Republican candidates for president have the idea that these jobless Americans are just too lazy, and just want to draw money from welfare. This, once again, is a case of ignorance. If there were jobs available, many of these people without jobs would be willing to work. 

The economic crisis echoes throughout the world we live in. This is why so many people are taking to the streets to make their opinions known. I am in agreement with my friend that more people need to take courage and stand by their beliefs. She said to me, "it is sad that we are willing to do so much for soccer, but willing to do so little for our rights." I agree with this 100%. It is time that everyone takes a stand to be heard. The only problem to be found with this is the police retaliation. Many times the police are harsh when people are only trying to peacefully demonstrate. My friend sent me this picture of a demonstrator in her previous home:

This scene reminds me of one of the pictures found in Goya's Los Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War). It is called No se Puede Mirar (One Cannot Look at This):

 

This is a common scene in many of these demonstrations. People only want to survive. That is why these people are going out and letting their government know how they feel. Is this not the true spirit of democracy? 

My main reason of posting this is to raise awareness of what is going on in the world. I would like to show my support of these people who are being wrongly treated by a corrupt government. I support the Spanish people and the peace they are trying to bring into their lives!

The Dangers of a Judgmental Society

I recently had a discussion with one of my friends about the way society works. We both came to the conclusion that society gives only a limited range which is considered normal. Any person who is outside this defined range is condemned by the others who consider themselves normal. The question I pose is: Why don't we accept everyone for who they are?

Here in the United States, a good portion of the population considers themselves practicing Christians. One of the main ideas found in the bible is to love your neighbor as yourself. This is an idea that Jesus himself endorsed. Why, then, in a society composed mostly of the religious, is there so much hatred and open condemnation? This should not be like this! Among the most perverse examples are the sign-carrying members of the Westboro Baptist Church. Through these people, homophobia and hatred are spread like wildfire. Toting signs that include statements such as "Thank God For Dead Soldiers," and "God Hates Fags," these people spread a message of hate contradictory to the bible they supposedly follow. When I was young, I was taught the idea that "'God' is love." To me, this seems more like sadism than love. 

Although I feel religion is a major cause of this society being judgmental, it is not the only source of condemnation. In the end, the will to judge spawns from the way people are brought up in society. If people live in a closed society, they tend to question anything that is "different." This small-town mentality can lead to some harsh criticisms. I personally feel it is a fear of progress that keeps diversity out of these closed societies. 

I can remember sitting in a coffee shop one morning, reading Goethe's Die Leiden des Jungen Werther (The Sorrows of Young Werther), when I overheard an older man talking about the decline of our nation. I listened in to his conversation, and I was appalled at what I heard. He stated that the only reason our nation is suffering is because "Obama is bringin' all his brothers from Africa over here to steal our jobs. He's letting the Mexicans cross the border, to take the jobs us hardworking Americans have. We need to ship them back to the desert!" At this point I left. I could not stand being around someone so ignorant. It seems this man has forgotten that his ancestors (unless they are Native Americans) were immigrants as well. He seems to have forgotten that his ancestors took land from the Native Americans, and forced them to leave their culture behind.

These are some of the best examples I can think of to depict our judgmental society. This is only a picture of what happens when we do not use reason to promote diversity. We must learn to accept one another for who they are, no matter what race, sex, religion (or lack thereof)or sexual orientation (if I have missed any, I beg forgiveness) these people are. The lesson here, before you condemn someone, get to know them first!   

Welcome

I know I do not have much content, but that will change, I promise. I would like to explain the purpose of this blog. This is a place for reason to flourish. It is my goal to be part of another enlightenment. Most people in today's society are deluded. They are unwilling to think and believe whatever they hear. It is a shame these people are easily influenced by people like Bill O'Reilly and many other hateful, homophobic or racist people. I feel it is time for this to change. Like depicted in Goya's picture El Sueño de la Razon Produce Monstruos (The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters[the picture to your right]), we must not let reason die completely.  Unless we are to succumb to the "monsters," we must fight the delusion and think freely. I know this is very generalized, but I'm sure you understand my point. If you consider yourself to be a person of thought, then this is a place for you! Enlighten yourself!