Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Duck ponders...

What People Did Back When There Were no Video Games

Well, I could say that people watched T.V., but that would be cheating. Come on, pull up a lily pad, have a listen. True, they're not exactly sturdy, but you get used to the cold pond water at this time of year. Especially if you weigh over one kilo.

Before people had video games. Life must have sucked. I mean, if you think about it, when they didn't have video games, instead of killing aliens or monsters they'd kill each other. How barbaric. How did people live? Wait, I guess they didn't.... Okay, seriously though. We use T.V., Video Games, and reading for fun to fill up our spare time. So, what did people do to fill up their spare time back in the good ol' days? No, silly toad, besides kill each other.

Well, Video Games are past-times, right? And past-times are kind of like hobbies, right? I could say that playing the computer is one of my hobbies. Of course, hobby is much broader than that. People have lots of different hobbies, even today. Like artisans and painters, or hikers and surfers. Those are hobbies. Back then, they had hobbies like polo, jousting, fox hunts, hunts, the Olympics, etc.

However, back then, many people do not have time for hobbies, and even today many people don't have time for hobbies. They have to work the land, or carry water, or work hard hours for an employer. Yes, dragonfly, exactly like that man who comes to pick up the smoking orange things that humans leave on the ground. They had no chance at hobbies like philosophy, reading, writing, crafting, or mathematics. Yes, Ralph, I know you hate math, but Sir Issac Newton would disagree. Now stop poking that wasp's nest. Without these hobbies, the human race is unable to advance at it's maximum rate of growth.

On the other hand, today we have loads more time on our hands then we did hundreds of years ago, and more and more people are using it up with things like soap operas and other entertainment. Lucy, I know that you love the O.C., and I do too, but really, saying to your teacher that you didn't have time to study for your test because of it doesn't cut it in my book. And believe me, it's a good book.

What we need is a time like the Greeks had around 500 BC, a "golden age", where everyone was happy, so they came up with all sorts of cool stuff, like the Parthenon, and Polycleitus' sculptures, and philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle! In that span of less that one hundred years, Greece made great leaps and bounds forward in many areas. Yes, thank you for demonstrating, frog. And they did so not out of necessity, or greed, or need for anything, they did so because they were striving to be all that they could be.

And that, is a truly noble thing. So next time you sit down at your computer, yes Ms. Ladybug, that means you, instead of blasting away at aliens, try creating something, like a blog to express your ideas, or maybe write a piece of philosophy, or maybe jsut get off the computer and start scribbling in a sketchbook!

Or, you could just get back to nature, not like we need to, and take a hike.

See you next time!

World Peace
Jordan

Monday, October 22, 2007

Poetry Slam #2

This is the poem that I read at my school's second poetry slam. I hope that you like it!


The “T” Word

Have you ever realized how the world looks at teenagers?
Drugs
Gangs
Sex
All-Night-Binge-Drinkers-and-Partiers-of-which-no-good-can-come
Mouthy, Smart Alec, rude punks with too much money in their pockets and too much time on their hands
Too much time on their hands

I don’t know about you but I’m kind of the opposite
Opposite of the last one anyways
I flop around from one thing to the next so much that I’m surprised that I even have time to sleep
Sleep… that’s a beautiful word
Whoever invented that word should win the Nobel Prize for, “Services to Adolescents”
I mean, really, I bet I could ask if one of the three applied to you after school today and you’d say yes; Work, Homework, or Starbucks
And I use the term Starbucks loosely
You can replace it with hanging out with friends or Serious Coffee if you want

Kids these days don’t have any time to GET into trouble
If you’re like me, and you are, believe me, you think that life’s too short to pass up opportunities
Opportunities like a job
Opportunities like playing on the school soccer team
Opportunities like going out with hot guy/girl you like
Opportunities like being proud of the mark you got on that math test or English essay or Art Project
Opportunities like going to Mexico and making a difference in the lives of the underprivileged
Opportunities like performing onstage in the school musical
Opportunities like getting that Louis Vutton bag that you’ve wanted, like, forever

But if you’re like me, opportunity is synonymous with responsibility
Responsibilities like going to work and telling those old ladies, “Yes, I’m sure that it costs 3.99, and yes I’d LOVE to hand you off to my manager”
Responsibilities like practicing hard and playing in all the games you can
Responsibilities like finding out what that special someone digs in someone else
Responsibilities like studying until 2:42 am for that stupid essay that you know Mr. Jung is going to give you on the unit test
Responsibilities like raising money and preparing for that Mexico trip
Responsibilities like giving your all and showing up to those rehearsals Monday and Thursday after school
Responsibilities like paying your mom or dad back for that extra $80 they lent you to get that totally chic purse

And responsibilities you see, create stress
Some people have a life that shelters them against the worst parts
Stress equals tired equals downward spiral equals OH-MY-GOSH-HOW-CAN-IT-BE-8:20!
Equals late for school equals didn’t get all the lesson equals fail the next test equals dissapointment
Equals lapses in judgement
Equals Drugs
Equals Gangs
Equals Sex
Equals those parties that no good can come of
Equals mouthy, smart alec, rude punks with shaken up priorities that you don’t know a thing about,
So stop pretending that you’re the authority on all things juvenile

But don’t think that I’m excusing us from any of it
But we can change

What I’m saying is that this terror produced by, the “T” word has got to stop

World Peace
Duck



Sunday, October 21, 2007

I'm a historical lunatic!

I'm Charles the Mad. Sclooop.
Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

And you can be one too, just by clicking on the link above!

World Peace

Plato's Cave

Okay guys, this is my "cop out" post, in which I simply take something that I've already done for school and paste it into my blog. Sounds kind of like double dipping to me, but I think that it's fine, and it's my blog, so mines the only opinion that matters. But first, you guys need context for the essay. Here are a couple links:

Wikipedia's Article of Plato's Cave Allegory

The Complete Text from Plato's "The Republic"

I would suggest reading those first. Now, the question for the essay was to summarize the analogy and then write your thoughts on it. The overall objective was to show that you understood it, and to show what your ideas on it were. That said, ladies and gentlemen, I give you my essay on Plato's Cave.

“The Cave” Essay

Plato’s analogy of the cave tells us how the world we live in is a cave of shadows. We must break free from our perception of illusion and enlighten ourselves, after which we must return to become guardians of those who remain in the cave. “The Cave” is flawed in three ways. Firstly; it proposes the hypocritical idea that being enlightened gives us the right to rule over others. Second; it punishes those who have attained truth by shackling them to the world they sought to escape. Finally; it demeans the unaware society in the cave as being unfit to attain revelation.

Plato’s begins by hypothesizing that our society has been fettered from birth; forced to gaze upon and listen too the sounds and images in front of them they perceive to be reality. He then goes on to describe how, if freed, we would ascend to the exit, curious about what lay outside. We would be forced to wait until dark, he says, as the light outside of the cave would be incredibly bright and painful to one who has been earthbound for so long. Plato describes this as our education, and that the only way to avoid the pain of the light is to approach it in a certain way. Then, we can complete our ascension and appreciate the truth offered by what lies outside. After that, Plato assumes that it is our responsibility to return to the cave to lead others to the road of enlightenment. However, he describes our clumsy return to society, stumbling blind through the darkness after being on the outside for so long. The people left behind in the cave would think us drunken, babbling idiots, and would not trust us nor would they follow our lead. Therefore, he concludes, we must instead become their guardians, ruling over them and protecting them from themselves.

There are significant cracks to be found in Plato’s egg of reality. One of the most glaring is his idea that we should be guardians of society. If we are encouraging those who are in society break free of their reality, then would it not be a hypocritical to then direct their civilization? That is what Plato really means by becoming guardians of those who refuse to attempt the journey to enlightenment. The logic of this fact escapes me, and it would seem much more sensible to either convince them somehow to ascend to the truth, or to simply leave well enough alone. Second, he places an incredible burden on those who accomplish the challenge of ascending to the sun. He makes them return to the cave to become guardians for those who choose to remain ignorant. Certainly, there may be some bond between the free-thinking and their fellow man, but wouldn’t all they be doing is changing what shadows society sees cast on the wall? And in this case, it would be just as well for them to have never left the cave in search of something greater. They could live happily in ignorance, or become enlightened to all these ideas and have no one to share them with. Lastly, Plato also degrades those who are not the best of society as unworthy to attain enlightenment and rule. There is a grain of truth in this, as we look with cynicism at our neighbours to the south, yet there is no justice in his decision. The responsibility of the enlightened is to: Lay out the clear choice of, “red pill, blue pill” for the people in the cave, and then do whatever they can for those who seek enlightenment to guide them to the sun. Let it be up to the citizens of darkness to ask for one of them as a beacon of light to guide them.

To conclude, I agree with the fact that every one of us should strive for enlightenment so that we may create a better civilization. I do not agree with his notions of elitism or his inclinations of social Darwinism. Finally, I absolutely do not agree with his illogical idea that after questioning reality, we should impose it upon others. Plato’s largely unmolested egg looks good at face value, but upon closer inspection, one can see that it cracks just as easily as all the other attempts at a perfect society.

A Neglected Fettish

Well, I always did like oxymoronic titles. I have indeed missed publishing my thoughts on the universe online. I wonder if the outlet was good or bad for me. I wonder still if it was a good or bad use of my time.

What do you think of time "wasting"? Is it all wasted in vain? Could it be better spent catching up on sleep? Doing homework? Or is trying really hard to keep your eyes open while typing a healthy thing to do to yourself. I don't know. I don't know even if I'm thinking straight. Bugger those San Jose Sharks. Getting a shutout just when I started to do well in my hockey pool. Meh. I'll be back, as the Terminator likes to say.

Spewing forever. (How's that for an end quote?)

World Peace
Jordan