In this modern day society we have very few people that can be considered to be like Socrates. Someone who questions a person’s or a group of people’s thoughts and beliefs. Someone who makes the audience think and question their own thoughts and beliefs. To be able to discover a certain truth “truth”. Bill Maher can certainly be described as a modern day Socrates, especially in the controversial world we live in today.
What makes Bill Maher so much like Socrates is that his show “Real Time with Bill Maher” is set up deliberately to discuss current controversies with in the american society. He has people representing from both sides and will play devil’s advocate with his questions at times to get both sides to reveal either faults within their arguments or show how strong they are. Even though Bill Maher is known for being a strongly voiced liberal, he allows his facing opponents -if you will- the opportunity to address the issue from their side and share their opinions on it. Which, he then tries to weaken by questioning their answers.
Referencing a specific episode i saw back in the summer, Bill Maher completely tricked a conservative who was completely against healthcare reform to admit that it would be a good thing. This is just one particular episode out of many that continuously address major issues and try to weaken the opposing sides argument. Because this is what the show is about and this is how he finds the “truth”, it wouldn’t be outrageous to think that Bill Maher is a modern day Socrates.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
The Unexamined Life
“The unexamined life is not worth living”. What Socrates meant by this was, why would you want to live a life where you don’t question the meaning of it? I have to agree. There really isn’t anything special about a person who is just living their life to get through it. For the person that never analyzes their life, would never completely understand it. In order to know yourself and who you are, i think the processes of “self examination” which Socrates mentions, is vital to living a full and complete life. In a sense, living life as a robot -so to speak- is a complete waste to yourself and your peers. By going through the motions and not really caring or thinking about who you are along the way, you could be depriving the world of something really great, and you are losing the chance to better yourself.
There are certain qualities and talents that make every human being different, more unique. Whether it be a yearning to help people or passion to create, each of us have something that we found out through some sort of self examination. Dying and having nothing to show for it would be a tragedy. I believe possessing and striving for goals or dreams is a good indication that someone has looked at their life and acknowledged that is not the fullest it could be. They want something more, something to define their lives. Goals keep people motivated, or in other words, they are living for something and not just living to live. Our society has revolved around setting goals for yourself, even if they are menial. Most of us really do want to live our lives with some sort of purpose behind it.
There are certain qualities and talents that make every human being different, more unique. Whether it be a yearning to help people or passion to create, each of us have something that we found out through some sort of self examination. Dying and having nothing to show for it would be a tragedy. I believe possessing and striving for goals or dreams is a good indication that someone has looked at their life and acknowledged that is not the fullest it could be. They want something more, something to define their lives. Goals keep people motivated, or in other words, they are living for something and not just living to live. Our society has revolved around setting goals for yourself, even if they are menial. Most of us really do want to live our lives with some sort of purpose behind it.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Eulogy
Rachel Mertel passed away last friday. Some have speculated that it was because of a recent lack of social interactions. However, discovered in an autopsy her untimely death was caused by extreme amounts of hydrocarbons and cobalt (toxic ingredients found in oil based paint) that was inhaled and absorbed through her skin. Ironically her last finished piece was an interpretation of death titled "oops"
She was a wonderful daughter, sister, and friend. A lot of people knew and could describe her as caring and generous. Those of us who were fortunate to know her better than that, knew she was an incredibly talented individual with a knack for bringing optimism into the darkest of times. Her native tongue was sarcasm, and anyone who ever spoken to her can attest to that. She loved to laugh, but hated the sound of it when she did. She was a perfectionist and couldn’t settle for anything less than the absolute best, which, often ended up doing her more harm than good. She constantly tried to fix and learn from the mistakes she made, to better herself as a person, friend, student, etc... Her favorite song was Vienna by Billy Joel, and regularly tried to live her life according to the message she saw in it.
“But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want
Or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
When will you realize...Vienna waits for you”
-Vienna, Billy Joel
A lot of people tend to go through life never really realizing their passion. She definitely found hers, and sadly, also died from it. Though it was not plastered all over her Facebook or wardrobe, she was an artist. An extremely modest one at that. She expressed herself loudly through her art and kept the world guessing in person. To be fair, a gallery could paint a better image of who she was than the written words on this page. I hope she managed to be a positive effect influence in all of your lives. She will be missed, but hopefully not forgotten.
She was a wonderful daughter, sister, and friend. A lot of people knew and could describe her as caring and generous. Those of us who were fortunate to know her better than that, knew she was an incredibly talented individual with a knack for bringing optimism into the darkest of times. Her native tongue was sarcasm, and anyone who ever spoken to her can attest to that. She loved to laugh, but hated the sound of it when she did. She was a perfectionist and couldn’t settle for anything less than the absolute best, which, often ended up doing her more harm than good. She constantly tried to fix and learn from the mistakes she made, to better herself as a person, friend, student, etc... Her favorite song was Vienna by Billy Joel, and regularly tried to live her life according to the message she saw in it.
“But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want
Or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
When will you realize...Vienna waits for you”
-Vienna, Billy Joel
A lot of people tend to go through life never really realizing their passion. She definitely found hers, and sadly, also died from it. Though it was not plastered all over her Facebook or wardrobe, she was an artist. An extremely modest one at that. She expressed herself loudly through her art and kept the world guessing in person. To be fair, a gallery could paint a better image of who she was than the written words on this page. I hope she managed to be a positive effect influence in all of your lives. She will be missed, but hopefully not forgotten.
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